Episode 53: The Legend Has Begun! Head to the Grand Line
Air Date: 2001-01-10
Opening: Believe (2nd Opening)
Ending: Run! Run! Run! (2nd Ending)
Manga Chapters: Chapter 100 (1-24/24)
Short Summary
Nami and Usopp reach the Going Merry and start to set sail without their crewmates to save it from Marine fire. Zoro encounters Tashigi once again, and the two engage in a duel. Luffy is stopped by Smoker, and they engage in a fight as well. As Smoker is about to finish off Luffy, Dragon appears and brings in a mysterious wind that allows Luffy to escape with his crew. Smoker decides to set sail for the Grand Line after Luffy, and Buggy decides to do the same.
In-Depth Summary
"Inherited Will. The Destiny of the Age and the Dreams of its People. These are the things that will not be stopped. As long as People pursue the Meaning of Freedom...Nothing can ever take those away!"
The episode opens with the man in the green cloak heading through the stormy street. As Sanji, Zoro, and Luffy run for the Going Merry, Alvida and the Buggy Pirates fight against the Marine soldiers. With the soldiers defeated, Buggy uses Bara Bara Car, making himself into a vehicle and taking off. Alvida has the pirates set up a ramp, and using her Sube Sube powers she slides down it on her feet, sliding along with Buggy. All of the pirates are stopped in their tracks as Smoker comes onto the scene, using White Out to stop the pirates. Some soldiers fire a net that traps Alvida, Buggy, and the pirates, a net made by the Marines to suppress Devil Fruit users. Smoker orders his Billower Bike, saying he is going after Luffy. At that moment, Nami and Usopp run toward the Going Merry, knowing their ship is in danger. At the Going Merry, Mohji and Ritchie struggle to light some matches so they can burn the ship, but because of the rain they cannot. Usopp and Nami arrive at the ship, and Mohji and Ritchie stand up to them. Usopp fires an Egg Star that falls short, but Ritchie trots over to it and licks it up. Mohji declares that he will stop them himself.
Several Marine soldiers arrive, firing at Mohji, and he is barely able to dodge the bullets. While this happens, Smoker speeds through the street on his Billower Bike. Luffy, Sanji, and Zoro finally spot Usopp and Nami at the end of the road, but find Tashigi blocking their path. Tashigi yells at Zoro for lying to her, not telling her that he was Zoro. Zoro replies that he didn't lie, and so Tashigi pledges to take Zoro's Wadou Ichimonji away from him, drawing her sword. The two sword-wielders clash, and Zoro tells Luffy and Sanji to go on ahead. Zoro and Tashigi engage in a tough duel, but Zoro whips out a second sword and manages to get Tashigi up against a wall. He sheathes his swords, telling her he has to go, and Tashigi gets mad, yelling that he went easy on her because she was a woman. She says he doesn't understand what it's like to be born wishing you were a man, and so Zoro yells that Tashigi looks and talks the same way Kuina did before she died. As the two argue, Luffy and Sanji keep running, but are stopped by Smoker. Smoker tells Luffy it's the end, and as the two stand off, Luffy tells Sanji to go on ahead.
At the ship, Nami and Usopp climb on as the Marines start firing cannonballs at it. They set sail, starting to leave to save the ship, when Sanji comes running up to the harbor. He runs alongside the ship, and is attacked by several soldiers. Sanji struggles to fend them off, but there are too many, so Usopp leaps into the water and starts firing at them with his slingshot. Meanwhile, Luffy and Smoker stand off as Smoker lifts Luffy into the air with his smoke. He declares he ate the Moku Moku Fruit and can turn his body into smoke at his whim. He tosses Luffy to the ground. Luffy uses Gomu Gomu no Gatling Gun, striking Smoker repeatedly, but the hits have no effect as Smoker defends himself with his Moku Moku powers. Smoker drives Luffy into the wall with his White Blow attack, telling Luffy he can't ever go to the Grand Line. Luffy uses Gomu Gomu no Pistol in desperation, but Smoker scatters and reforms behind him, pushing Luffy to the ground. As Smoker reaches for the weapon on his back, though, a hand grabs the handle and stops him. Smoker looks up to the see the man in the green cloak from before.
Smoker tells the cloaked man that the government wants his head, but the man replies that "they" are waiting for an answer. He then causes a great green gust of wind to blow through the entire town, sending Luffy and Smoker flying, as well as blowing the nets off of Alvida, Buggy, and his crew. Luffy runs to see the Going Merry already far off the harbor with only Nami aboard. He uses Gomu Gomu no Rocket to send himself flying into Sanji, Zoro, and Usopp, and in turn all four are sent flying onto the ship. Smoker watches in frustration, asking why the man would interfere, calling him Dragon. Dragon replies that there is no reason to stop a man from sailing. Once he leaves, Smoker orders a ship, as he wants to go after Luffy despite Loguetown being his jurisdiction. Tashigi goes with him, wanting revenge on Zoro, and so they decide to head to the Grand Line. At that moment, the ship of the Buggy Pirates has set sail, and Buggy declares that they are heading to the Grand Line, and that he missed it. Back aboard the Going Merry, they spot a lighthouse, their guiding light to the Grand Line, so the Straw Hats decide to put their feet on a barrel as a ceremony before entering the Grand Line. Sanji declares he will find All Blue, Luffy declares he will become Pirate King, Zoro declares he will become the greatest swordsman, Nami declares she will draw a map of the world, and Usopp declares he will become a brave warrior of the sea. With that, the Going Merry goes on through the storm toward the Grand Line as the episode draws to a close.
Mumbo230’s Notes
The first episode of 2001 is the last episode of the Loguetown arc. The stating of the Straw Hat's dreams at the end is the perfect set-up for the Grand Line adventures to come.
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